


at least one dream away

by blackkat



Series: Horoscope Drabbles [26]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Wings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 23:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17334401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: “You have to let me go,” Kagami says desperately.





	at least one dream away

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Normal Horoscopes on Tumblr:
> 
> Aries: The great stone aeries hewn from the very rock of the mountaintops. Inaccessible, except to those with wings. The roosting halls are littered with bones and empty suits of armor.

“You have to let me go,” Kagami says desperately.

The black and white wings pause, outspread. Kagami doesn’t dare go close enough to the edge to get a good look at his captor’s face in the glaring sun, but he thinks he catches the edge of a smile, something swift and sad.

“Not yet,” the man says, and tumbles from the ledge.

Instinct has Kagami lunging, a single long step before he remembers himself and pulls up short, clutching at a column of rough-hewn stone. He wants to help, to scream for the man, but—

A shape whirls past, rising like a meteor. Black and white feather catch the sun, steal Kagami's breath on a sound of awe, and he stares, watching as those wings flare wide beneath the sun. The shape between them twists, falls for half an instant, and then changes. A moment later, a massive black-and-white bird drops back towards the valleys so far below, long claws flashing in the sun, and vanishes from sight.

“Damn it,” Kagami breathes, slumping back against the stone, and drags a hand through his hair, trying to think. He was on the battlefield, he _remembers_ that, because there were Kumo nin, and the fact that they had to retreat was like letting Tobirama die all over again. He’d stayed behind, covering the squad’s retreat, and then—

And then he’d woken up here, just as the bird laid him out on the stone, landed and changed and became a _man_ , strangely familiar, with black-and-white hair and wide, sad brown eyes.

 _I'm sorry,_ he’d said. _I came back too late, didn’t I?_

Kagami still hasn’t figured out what he meant by that.

There's no one to help him figure it out, either. This place is carved into the very peak of the mountain, an aerie of stone and windswept peaks. There are no ways down except to those with wings, and no other people, either. Kagami's captor—rescuer?—comes and goes without any seeming schedule, leaving food, water, bits of armor or familiar weapons.

The war is probably still raging down there. Koharu and Torifu and Danzō and Saru are probably all fighting. And Kagami is stuck up here, _useless_ , even with all the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

It’s probably a sign of his stubbornness, that he’s still sitting as close to the edge as he dares when the winged man returns. Kagami watches his ascent, the strange shift that takes him from full bird to winged man, can see the moment dark eyes settle on him. The man doesn’t try to avoid him, though, settles on the edge of the platform with ghostly grace, huge wings sweeping out and down to fold behind him.

There's a long moment of silence between them, and then Kagami says, “There are bones in the hallway.”

The man’s smile is wan. “A lot of birds eat meat, you know.”

That’s hardly reassuring. Kagami grimaces, then rises to his feet, facing the man squarely. “Why did you take me off the battlefield?” he demands, and despite his best efforts, his voice cracks in his throat. “My squad, they were counting on me. they could be _dead_ —”

“They're not,” the man says gently. He glances around, then sighs and takes a seat on a low wall that edges the cliff, more decorative than any sort of real barrier. Kagami supposes that having wings makes the drop seem inconsequential, even though Kagami could hardly see the bottom of the mountain the only time he chanced a glance over the side.

“How do you even know that?” Kagami clenches his fists, not sure if he wants to rage or beg. “Are you _sure_?”

“Yes,” the man says with perfect certainty. He pulls one leg up, wrapping his arms around his knee, and gives Kagami a tired smile. “My brother asked me to protect all of them. And you especially. He said you were most likely to get yourself into trouble.”

The words are familiar. Kagami swallows, and—suddenly he can understand why the man’s face looks familiar. There are echoes of _Tobirama_ in his features, touches of the familiar in otherwise unfamiliar features. But—

“Tobirama-sensei doesn’t _have_ any brothers,” he gets out.

“I'm Itama, and I was his younger brother.” Itama looks at his hands, turning them over, and sighs, resigned and a little amused. “Tobirama said you were his best student. When he says it, I think that means _most troublesome_.”

That’s almost word for word what Mito said, the first time Kagami was introduced to her. He swallows, looks down and scrubs his hands over his face, and it _hurts_ , the memory of Tobirama dying for his students so readily.

Something warm touches his cheek, then folds around him, and it’s like Kagami is suddenly in a cocoon of feathers that smell like sunshine and cold winds. He jerks his head up, just as Itama settles beside him, wrapping his wings around both of them.

“I'm going to take care of you,” Itama promises, and his hand finds Kagami's. “I'm going to stop the war and keep you safe.”

Somehow, Kagami finds that he believes him.


End file.
